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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition, Psychology and Brain Health
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1519726
This article is part of the Research Topic The Role of Nutrition in Mitigating Depression: Mechanisms, Interventions, and Outcomes View all articles
Investigation of the Relationship between Food Preferences and Depression Symptoms among Undergraduate Medical Students: A cross-sectional study
Provisionally accepted
Fatemeh Maleki Sedgi 1
Jalal Hejazi 2
Reza Derakhshi 2
Ghazal Baghdadi 3
Mana Hamidi 2 Melinaz Zarmakhi 2
Kamyar Mansori 2
Mohsen Dadashi 2
Mehran Rahimlou 2*- 1 Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
- 2 Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjān, Iran
- 3 Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Depression is a psychological condition characterized by a persistent low mood. This study investigates the relationship between depressive symptoms and food preferences in undergraduate students. A cross-sectional design was employed among 502 students at Zanjan University of Medical Sciences. Data collection included validated questionnaires on food preferences, depression levels (Beck Depression Inventory), and physical activity (IPAQ), along with anthropometric measurements. Food preferences were analyzed for six groups: grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat/fish, and snacks. Depression severity was categorized into six levels based on BDI scores: normal (1-9), mild (10-16), borderline (17-20), moderate (21-30), severe (31-40), and very severe (41-63). Depression risk was defined as the odds of belonging to a higher Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) category. Participants with severe depression had lower preferences for grains, fruits, and vegetables but higher preferences for snacks. Adjusted analyses revealed that higher preferences for fruits (OR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.68-0.98) and vegetables (OR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.71-0.94) were significantly associated with reduced depression risk, while snack preferences increased risk (OR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.03-1.68). However, the association between grain preferences and depression risk was not statistically significant after adjustment (OR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.74-1.03). These findings highlight the bidirectional link between diet and mental health, underscoring the importance of dietary interventions in mental health strategies.
Keywords: Food Preferences, Students, Depression, Cross-sectional, nutrition
Received: 30 Oct 2024; Accepted: 21 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Sedgi, Hejazi, Derakhshi, Baghdadi, Hamidi, Zarmakhi, Mansori, Dadashi and Rahimlou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Mehran Rahimlou, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjān, Iran
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